


cupid hit me with precision

by orphan_account



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Attempt at Humor, Awkward Flirting, Barista Kim Seungmin, Coffee Shops, Crush at First Sight, Explicit Language, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Hwang Hyunjin is Whipped, M/M, Meet-Cute, Or at least an, Rated T for, hyunlix are bffs, seungmin's guitar makes a cameo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:15:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27513679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: It’s just impossible, Hyunjin thinks, to let someone as breathtakingly brilliant and beautiful as Kim Seungmin fly past his radar.Or, Hyunjin falls head over heels for Kim Seungmin, and it's a lot like The Big Bang—it starts with a collision.
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin
Comments: 25
Kudos: 158





	cupid hit me with precision

**Author's Note:**

> hello!
> 
> the title is taken from tyler, the creator's "see you again" because hyunjin in this fic is Whipped As Hell, and i think the song matches this fic fairly well.
> 
> i hope you enjoy reading!

Hyunjin has a problem.

Actually, scratch that. Hyunjin has _two_ problems.

(But he’ll cross that bridge when he gets there.)

The first revolves around his time management skills (or lack thereof) and his tendency to procrastinate. Like, _procrastinate—_ there’s procrastination, and then there’s Hwang Hyunjin levels of procrastination.

He reckons there are better ways to go about his schoolwork. As it stands, his quote-unquote routine consists of letting his assigned papers pile up as the week progresses, waiting until he’s left with just a day to scramble and get to his senses, and repeating _‘I work better under pressure’_ under his breath as his fingertips fly over his laptop keyboard in a blur of caffeinated speed and urgency.

(“Are you sure you don’t wanna try and see if there’s a Guinness world record for that? That’s sorta impressive,” Jisung comments one Friday night, sitting criss cross applesauce on Hyunjin’s lumpy, hand-me-down couch.

“ _Hnnnnhh_ ,” is all Hyunjin answers to that.)

There’s also the absolute unit that’s the stack of readings his professors require for their classes.

To Hyunjin’s abject horror, he swears the mountain of textbooks and stapled sheets of printed text grows taller every time he looks at it. It’s enough to make him want to wilt away, bury himself under the covers, and sleep into the next day. For his own sanity, Hyunjin resolves to spare his eyes from the ungodly sight.

Once a day is enough.

Out of sight, out of mind.

(Try as he might, he’s aware of the fact that he can’t actually stare his course requirements into the void, but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t try.)

It’s impossible to pinpoint, precisely, just when completing his course requirements turned into such a chore.

What he _does_ know is that hell weeks have distorted into a time warp of sorts; how else does time seem to drag for days on end while also flying past him faster than he can say _tteokbokki_? By the end of it, Hyunjin always turns out feeling like a human teabag steeped in stress, panic, and one too many energy drinks.

Who in their right mind would want to go through that kind of shitshow constantly? The sensible answer would be nobody. So naturally, Hyunjin vows to get his act together and stop procrastinating, every single time.

Only...

He’s been doing a pretty shit job at keeping that vow.

* * *

To nobody's surprise, the universe just refuses to let up, and Hyunjin is reminded _again_ of how terrible he is at handling his schoolwork by none other than one Lee Felix.

“Jinnie, at this rate, you’re gonna crash and burn come finals week,” he says, popping a french fry into his mouth. “Mm, that’s nice. Want one?”

Suddenly, there’s a plate of fries sliding towards the middle of the table. Hyunjin eyes it apprehensively before nabbing one. It _is_ good, but Hyunjin’s not surprised; the food at this diner was usually on the more decent side of frugal dining.

Today, Hyunjin and Felix are at their usual after-school spot of choice, a diner not far from Felix and Chan’s apartment. He’s not exactly sure what it’s called. It’s a simple diner that’s easy to miss, with its non-assuming spot on campus and its even _more_ non-assuming name, but he likes it enough since both his wallet _and_ his stomach have gotten significantly happier since they’d started eating out here.

They’re seated in a booth by the window, basking in the mid-afternoon light that streams through the glass in harsh bands. It’s a good thing their schedules have freed up after the last week of torment that practically made a corpse out of Hyunjin, because he finally feels like a living, breathing human being now. He’s not a fan of hot weather, but being holed up in his own apartment with shoe-box sized windows for 2 days straight gives him a newfound appreciation for the warmth of the sun.

While Felix’s thumbs tap away on his phone (probably texting Chan again, no surprise), Hyunjin brews over his words.

Is he really faring that badly? Yeah, he likes to put off all his work for the last minute, but he _does_ get them done, one way or another. And if it takes a toll on Hyunjin’s state of being, then so be it.

As Jisung likes to say, _that’s college, baby._

Still, the thought doesn’t unlatch itself from his mind as easily as he expects. He blames Chan for that. Ever since Chan and Felix had gotten together, it’s almost like Felix has cemented himself as Hyunjin’s... life guru of sorts.

As though Felix hears his train of thought, he sets his phone face-down on the table and lays one arm parallel to his front, the other propping his chin up.

“You know, you could probably start by tackling the problem at hand one step at a time.”

“And... how exactly do I do that?”

“Get yourself a planner? An alarm clock? Hell, what about an ergonomic desk chair?”

Hyunjin hates how his immediate reaction isn’t to scoff. Instead, his mind helpfully pipes with, _oh yeah, that’d do_ wonders _for the back pain._

Hyunjin is nothing if not stubborn when he wants to be, though.

“Lix, let’s be real, I’d just procrastinate on _planning_ my work,” Hyunjin sighs.

That seems to stump Felix for a bit, if that way he goes quiet is any indication.

Felix’s eyes turn to slits, mouth shrinking into a thin line, and that’s how Hyunjin knows he’s thinking of a more attainable, Hwang-Hyunjin-friendly game plan.

Hyunjin really appreciates Felix’s efforts to help, he does. But if you ask him, this was a problem for him to deal with _on his own;_ he’s beyond saving at this point.

Still, he waits for his friend to come up with something. Just in case.

A hand slams down on the table, Hyunjin jumping out of his seat at the abrupt noise. He’s not the only one who got caught off guard, it seems, because a middle-aged woman with a stroller parked beside her chair is looking in their direction too, a disapproving scowl on her face. Hyunjin sends a quick, sheepish smile in apology.

When he turns back to face Felix, the other sports a smug look as he wags his index finger, slowly tilting lower until it points directly at Hyunjin.

He snaps his fingers and says, “Dude.”

Clap.

“I’ve got it!”

“Got what?”

“The solution to your dilemma, dummy!”

“I’m all ears.”

A pause fills the space between them, a shoddy attempt at building up suspense, before Felix excitedly exclaims, “Study buddies!”

Hyunjin’s a little lost, but he lets the younger male continue his spiel.

“Think about it. If you have a study buddy, specifically _me_ , as your study buddy, then you’d have someone to remind you to keep working! I was thinking we could do, like, a cafe—”

“Wait, why not the library?” Hyunjin interjects.

“Because if you’re forced to spend money just to sit somewhere, odds are you’ll feel bad about doing nothing, so..”

“I’ll have no choice but to study with you?”

“Exactly.”

Huh. Hyunjin has to admit it’s not the worst plan, actually. Felix really hit the nail in the head by targeting his frugal tendencies (“You’re a cheapskate, Hyunjin.” “It’s called being _frugal_ , Lix _._ ”). All of his studying so far has been limited to the four walls of his drab apartment, and he has no idea how this'll pan out, but..

In any case, he sees no harm in trying.

Worst case scenario: spending money on overpriced coffee _doesn’t_ wire his brain into productive mode. Oh well, at least there’ll be coffee to drink while he mourns his $6.

Best case scenario: the cafe atmosphere is conducive for studying, he makes progress on his course requirements, (ideally) drinks good coffee, and his work ethic changes for the better.

Sounds like a pipe dream, but okay.

From what Hyunjin can see, the worst that could happen isn’t _terrible_...

“I’m free on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.” Hyunjin offers, hoping he doesn’t regret his decision.

“Sounds good to me. What do you say then, study buddies?” Felix asks as he flashes Hyunjin an exaggeratedly slow wink.

_Please, let this be a good idea._

“Yeah, yeah, alright.”

“Perfect! I know _just_ the place.”

* * *

Hyunjin’s not sure why they have to study _here_ _,_ of all places.

In hindsight, the smile on Felix’s face then should have been a tell-tale sign. Hyunjin could’ve sworn he’d looked a little too smug and satisfied, too excited about something as mundane as study sessions. He just hadn’t known why.

Well, to be honest, he’s still not sure why. But he feels the beginnings of a hunch forming in the back of his mind. The imaginary ropes of thought connecting event A to event B are there, but he’s far too tired to untangle them after an entire day of lectures. He decides to grant Felix the benefit of the doubt for now.

“I can’t believe this,” Hyunjin sighs.

Felix sports the same pleased expression on his face from a week ago as they stand side by side, mere feet away from the entrance of The Hefty Bean. The front door is painted an inviting deep green, a small wooden sign marked with the words “OPEN” hanging from behind the small glass window of the door.

It feels far too much like a taunt for how welcomingly it presents itself.

“You doing alright, Jinnie? You’re kind of fidgety.” Felix’s voice sounds muffled to Hyunjin’s ears, despite the fact that their shoulders are only a couple inches apart. He can practically _hear_ Felix’s smile, dear god. He’s _this_ close to retracting Felix’s benefit-of-the-doubt card.

Instead, he draws his lips into a straight line, trying his best to look nonchalant and at ease. Because he is.

“Yep, peachy.”

“Sure about that?”

Is he?

“One hundred percent.”

Hyunjin hears an amused scoff leave Felix’s mouth, but the other doesn’t press any further.

“Come on then, time to get our studying on!”

He follows Felix’s lead into the cafe but takes his sweet, sweet time, trying his best to fight the thought of how _easy_ it would be to stop, step back, and run home.

* * *

It’s not that Hyunjin has any qualms about the place.

The Hefty Bean, from what he’s heard, is as good a place as any for studying. As he steps into the threshold of the cafe interior, he can see why.

The space is lit up by warm lamps that hang from the ceiling, neither too bright nor too dim. Soft, lilting jazz plays through the speakers, audible enough to mask the casual chatter of the other guests without being distracting. The seating layout is nice too, with booths lining the walls tables of three’s and four’s filling the vacant space in between. Hyunjin sees Felix making his way towards one of the booths already, backpack halfway slung down his shoulder.

It’s homey. Almost familiar, even, although he’s only spent a grand total of 30 seconds inside so far.

So yeah. The cafe itself?

Pretty promising.

But it’s also where Problem #2 comes in.

(Time to cross the bridge now.)

The Hefty Bean is where Kim Seungmin works part-time as a barista. The type that stands behind the counter while doing... barista things. Like taking orders and working the espresso machine and wiping granite countertops.

Don’t get him wrong: Hyunjin doesn’t have a problem with baristas, let alone Kim Seungmin, who he’s sure is a great guy.

In fact, he _kno_ _w_ _s_ he’s a great guy, from that one time they’d run into each other and Hyunjin had basically fallen head over heels for him at record speed, and—

Yeah. You get the gist.

Anyway, it’s not like he actively keeps tabs on the guy. He had better things to do, like ignoring his growing workload as he binge-watched Avatar: The Last Airbender for the nth time.

Hyunjin doesn’t know everything about Kim Seungmin, because that would be ridiculous, unheard of, and flat out _creepy._

But Hyunjin knows… enough, about him.

For one, Hyunjin knows his name is Kim Seungmin, from that one night when he had spent an embarrassingly long time scrolling through Instagram and Facebook, scouring friends lists and followings just to find a lead. Eventually, he’d found him on Chan’s profile (because _of course_ the student council president would know everyone; he feels a little ridiculous for not checking there first). And from there, he finds out that Kim Seungmin is a robotics major, and one of the brightest students in their year—a Dean’s Lister, no less.

He knows that Kim Seungmin carries around a DSLR camera strapped around his neck to photograph school events, because Hyunjin himself had attended those events.

And if he watched the school photographer more closely than he did the actual ceremony, that’s nobody’s business but his.

(It’s just impossible, Hyunjin thinks, to let someone as breathtakingly brilliant and beautiful as Kim Seungmin fly past his radar.)

Lastly, he knows that Kim Seungmin works at the cafe, but he doesn’t know _when_ his shifts are.

It’s entirely possible that he won’t be at the counter, if and when he dares to look.

Hyunjin holds his breath anyway, just to be on the safe side, keeping his head down as he heads for the booth. Because if he has to have his knees turn to jelly today, he would rather have it happen in his seat, thank you very much.

* * *

Thud.

_He feels more than sees the figure that slams against his entire front, and before he can even register what’s going on, he topples to the ground, ass to the floor, surrounded by all the loose leaf papers he’d hastily shoved into his folder before running to his Psych class. Which is in…_

_2 minutes._

_Ago._

Fuck _, Hyunjin’s_ not _going to cry_.

 _He’s halfway into wallowing in his misery of being late for class when he’s interrupted by a_ “Gods, I am so sorry!”

 _It's enough to snap him out of_ _his own little pity party_ _from where he’s half-lying on the floor. His eyes shuffle from the ground to the backpack that’_ _s unceremoniously dropped onto it_ _._ _A large ‘_ _24_ _button_ _pin_ _decorates_ _the front_ _amidst a scattering of smaller enamel pins_ _._ _His gaze then darts from w_ _hite sneakers to dark wash jeans to a_ _black_ _hoodie_ _that hugs_ _the boy’s torso_ _comfortably._

Man, he’s kinda tall, _Hyunjin pauses to note._ _B_ _efore he can continue roving his eyes up_ _ward to catch a glance at his face_ _, Tall Guy kneels beside him and promptly begins collecting Hyunjin’s fallen papers with care so as to not wrinkle them._

 _Which leads Hyunjin’s gaze to Tall Guy’s hands, following the slender line of his f_ _ingers_ _—_ _wait, are those_ sweater paws? _—_ _to his arms swallowed by thick fleecy cotton_ _,_ _before finally settling on the guy’s face, angled downward as he searches for more of Hyunjin’s dropped belongings, and the casually styled_ _dark_ _hair_ _that frames it._

_Hyunjin doesn’t move an inch. Wouldn’t be able to, even if he tried._

Holy fuck. Please don’t let him be hot, or cute, or attractive in any way.

_Some sort of embarrassing noise must fall out of his mouth without his notice, because Tall Guy lifts his head and his face is now fully visible in its complete, gorgeous glory._

Holy fuck, he _is_ hot, _and_ cute.

_Hyunjin is fucked._

_To Hyunjin’s mortification, he realizes belatedly that the guy is_ speaking to him. 

“ _—_ _you alright?” he_ _repeats_ _, and Hyunjin’s 100% sure there are_ _micro-_ _explosions going off in his brain, right then and there, because_ what the fuck, _he’s_ _never had a thing for anyone’s_ voice _before._

 _All Hyunjin can muster is a timid nod and a squeak as affirmation. He’s about to avert his eyes from Tall Hot Guy’s stupidly handsome face, because_ out of mind, out of sight _,_ _right?_

 _But then the corner of_ _his_ _lips quirks ever so slightly and— great,_ _he_ _’s probably laughing at him on the inside but feels too bad to show it._ So much for first impressions, Hwang.

_The silence stretches between them for a moment—seconds, though Hyunjin could swear it’s been minutes—and then Tall Hot Guy’s leaning in, ever so slightly, reaching a hand out and swiftly smoothing his fingers over the top of Hyunjin’s hair._

_All the while, Hyunjin’s jaw hangs open only to snap shut when his attempts to say something,_ anything _, prove to be fruitless._

“ _Your hair was—”_ _he_ _starts, bringing back his hand from Hyunjin’s head (Hyunjin absolutely does_ not _miss the warmth), and gestures_ _around his own head rather_ _vaguely. “Your hair was looking a little messy,” he says,_ _a_ _slow, amused smile span_ _ning_ _across his face._

_Hyunjin might be a little in love._

“ _Wow... I mean, uh. Thank you?” Wait, fuck. “I meant. Thank you, really, you didn’t have to… help me,” Hyunjin continues, eyeing his own papers neatly stacked in Seungmin’s grasp._

“ _No, it’s no problem at all. Don’t stress it,” Tall Hot Guy chuckles as he extends the stack of papers in Hyunjin’s direction, and that alone causes his own knees to turn to jelly. Just as the other makes a move to stand upright once more, Hyunjin blurts out, “Hwang Hyunjin.”_

 _Confusion_ _washes over_ _his_ _features, but it soon gives way to that charming smile from earlier, the very same one that stole Hyunjin’s breath_ _away just like that._ _Finally getting up on two feet, Tall Hot Guy dusts his hands off on his jeans before holding out his hand, which Hyunjin shyly grasps._ _The sensation of skin on skin renders him awestruck. Then_ _h_ _e’s being tugged upward,_ _and_ _his vision blurs for a bit before reorienting itself._

 _H_ _is field of view narrows down to this: deep, dark brown eyes, the arch of a nose, and lips upturned in that_ damned _smile._

_(The butterflies in his stomach flutter so wildly that Hyunjin wouldn’t be surprised if they were crashing into one another, cramped up as they were.)_

“ _You should probably get moving if you don’t want to miss Professor Park’s whole lecture. I hear he’s pretty harsh about attendance,” Tall Hot Guy_ _offers_ _, tilting his head towards the general direction of the lecture hall Hyunjin was supposed to be in._

Shit _,_ _he’d completely forgotten about class._

 _Hyunjin quickly nods, still dumbfounded by events of the last five minutes. How else do you react when you meet a handsome stranger who_ literally _knocks you off your feet?_

 _Hyunjin means to ask for a name_ _to put to the face._ _I_ _t’d only be fair, after all, since he had given his as well._

_But then there’s a hand on his shoulder, and warmth travels all around, raising gooseflesh in its wake. The weight of his hand leaves him far too soon, and the stranger’s voice fills his ears again as he says, “See you around I guess, Hwang Hyunjin.”_

_(The warmth in his body doesn’t leave until much, much later.)_

* * *

It seems that the universe is on his side today, because as it so happens, the cafe is evidently Kim-Seungmin-free at this hour.

Hyunjin takes a second to thank his lucky stars that he doesn’t have to deal with both his head _and_ his heart going into overdrive today. His literature readings aren’t terrible and he’d even go as far as to say that he enjoys them, but he seriously doubts he would get anything done with one (1) Tall Hot Guy in his immediate vicinity.

The sigh of relief that he lets out doesn’t go unnoticed.

“Wow, you aren’t tense at all,” Felix deadpans, halfway through unpacking his own learning materials. Hyunjin catches a glimpse of the hardcover sleeve and the word _Economics_ emboldened across the front. He winces involuntarily. Business and negotiation have never been his strong suits.

Hyunjin shrugs as he reaches over to unzip his own backpack open and sift through the papers he’d brought today. He fiddles with the page corners instead, preoccupied with the toss-up between philosophy and literature.

“Must be the coffee or something.”

“I don’t even wanna imagine how much coffee you drink in a day.”

“Oh trust me, you don’t,” Hyunjin scoffs. “Hey Lixie, heads or tails?”

“...heads?”

“Ugh, you should’ve chosen tails! I was hoping to avoid philosophy today,” he groans, but plucks the course material out of his bag all the same, laying it flat on the table.

Felix pouts. “Lucky you. I’d take philosophy over...” he trails off, sparing a glance at his textbook.

“... _The Principles of Economics_ , any day.”

“Go on ahead, but I’d rather take _sleep_ over this,” Hyunjin fake yawns, even stretching his arms a little bit for good measure. To his amusement, Felix follows with an actual yawn, hitting Hyunjin on the arm as he does so, the older male laughing as the swats land on him with increasing force.

“I can’t be yawning before I even open my textbook, Jinnie!”

“Welcome to my world.”

“So you’re _recruiting_ now, I see how it is!”

Hyunjin only has enough time to swipe the younger’s textbook off the table and shield himself from another onslaught of swats, and it isn’t long before they’re both cracking up, devolving into a chortling mess of loose leaf paper and sweater-clad limbs.

“Hey, if I’m paying for coffee and a spot here, we’d better make the most of it,” Hyunjin pushes. “Let’s get to work, yeah?”

“I told you this was effective,” Felix sing-songs, facing Hyunjin’s unimpressed expression with delight, waggling eyebrows and all. Hyunjin childishly sticks his tongue out in retaliation. Felix counters with a light kick to the shin, and it's enough to shut Hyunjin up.

* * *

Four pages into the chapter about Nietzsche. _That’s_ how far he gets before all hopes of feeding anything remotely useful into his brain comes crashing down in a hot, flaming pile.

The little shopkeeper’s bell jingles as the cafe door creaks open, but that isn’t what catches Hyunjin’s attention, freezing the trail of his highlighter across the small typeface of his readings dead in its tracks. The felt tip stays pressed against the same spot for a second too long, fluorescent yellow ink pooling mid-sentence.

But Hyunjin couldn’t care less about that, not when there’s the sound of footsteps, hurried yet careful in an effort not to disturb the other patrons, followed by the voice that’s been plaguing Hyunjin’s daydreams for the last month.

The general silhouette that he makes out from his periphery confirms that Hyunjin can kiss his philosophy readings bye bye, because there’s just no way he can wrack his brain to function when Kim Seungmin, _Tall Hot Guy,_ is right there, beelining towards the counter in a rush.

Hyunjin and Felix’s booth is a safe distance away from the counter, but maybe being head over heels gives you superpowers, because Hyunjin hears him with perfect clarity anyway, hears the way Seungmin breathes, “Sorry I’m late, band practice went on longer than I thought!”

 _You’ve got to be kidding me, he’s in a_ band _too? What_ can’t _this guy do?_

The mental image of _Kim Seungmin_ , aka the Most Perfect Guy Ever (in Hyunjin’s eyes), playing for a band, _singing_ for a band, is enough to shoot Hyunjin’s tiny pea brain and infatuated heart into space.

All this time, he’s been glaring at the papers in front of him in a moot attempt to stay tethered to his focus, but he accepts his fate now.

 _No use trying to fight it_ , _go on, don’t be shy,_ the traitorous voice inside his head says.

He isn’t sure if he regrets listening to the little demon in his head, because for one, Kim Seungmin looks _really_ fucking good today— he’s carrying a guitar case on his back and wearing a similar outfit as the last time, the same white sneakers and dark wash jeans. The only real difference is that his hoodie’s a light neutral color and his hair’s all askew. Hyunjin just thinks it’s endearingly cute. But then...

“Earth to Hyunjin?” Felix’s voice cuts through Hyunjin’s internal swoon fest. There’s a pleased, knowing smile on his face.

Yeah, he’s connected the dots all right.

Hyunjin blurts, “How’d you know?”

He could’ve sworn he hadn’t told a soul about his crush, so there’s no way Felix could’ve wrenched it out from someone like Jisung who was far too easy to bribe, or Jeongin who just wanted to watch the world burn whenever he felt like it.

Felix whistles, holding up his fingers. He starts counting down, thumb first.

“One, you’ve attended every single university event where Seungmin has photographed. Two, don’t think I don’t notice you looking out whenever we pass by the science building. Three, I borrowed your phone that one time and saw your Instagram search history, and—”

“Okay, I get it!”

Hyunjin doesn’t have to touch his cheeks to know they’re as red as a beet by now, and the tips of his ears probably aren’t faring any better.

He glares at Felix, pointing an accusatory finger. “Wait, so you _did_ choose this cafe because you knew he worked here!”

“Yes... and no. It’s a nice place on its own, him working here is just a nifty bonus for you,” the younger male tells him as he leans back against the cushiony booth, looking like the cat that got the cream.

“I hate you, Lix.”

“Love you too, Jinnie,” Felix sends a quick peck in his direction.

Hyunjin closes his eyes and counts down to ten before he fixes another glare at the other, but Felix is already on his phone, probably already shooting a text to Jisung and Jeongin about today's victory.

Hyunjin inhales, then exhales.

Right, he’s got this.

He’s _not_ about to lose his shit over the fact that Tall Hot Guy is in the same space as him, of course not. Kim Seungmin is, after all, _just_ a guy. Nodding to himself, he almost convinces himself that he’d been freaking out over nothing, that maybe not all hope was lost and he’d actually get a head start on his course requirements for once.

It lasts all of five seconds.

Seungmin reappears from the back room, sans hoodie, and Hyunjin swears he’s overheating in spite of the comfortable chill of the cafe interior because Seungmin’s no longer drowning in the soft material of a hoodie. Instead, he’s in a _white button-up shirt_ , and he even rolls up the sleeves to the elbows before picking up his apron from the hooks on the wall.

“What do you say about ordering the coffee, Jinnie?” Felix grins from across the table.

He’s _so_ fucked.

* * *

“Good afternoon, welcome to The Hefty Bean! What can I get you?” Kim Seungmin smiles at him from behind the till.

(Hyunjin feels the butterflies in his stomach take flight, the sensation a repeat of when he had last seen that smile trained on him.)

His phone buzzes in his hand, the screen lighting up to display a new text notification.

**lixie 🌞☀:**

_i can_ _sense_ _ur whipped ass all the way from here!_

He scoffs quietly as he reads the text before hurriedly pocketing his phone, looking back up at Seungmin whose fingers are drumming a beat on the counter. Hyunjin wonders what song's playing in his head right now.

(He won’t lie, he’s a tad envious. He almost wishes he were a song, so he’d be on Seungmin’s mind too.)

Waving the thought away, he scrambles to reply. There’s nobody else in line, but he can’t help but feel bad for taking up the barista’s time.

“Sorry, I— Uh. An iced americano for me. And, um, a caramel macchiato?”

“Iced?”

Hyunjin nods, willing the flush on his cheeks away as he struggles to maintain eye contact with the boy without melting into a puddle on the floor. He’s suddenly grateful telepaths don’t actually exist because hypothetically speaking, he’d be so screwed if Seungmin was one. At least his thoughts, rambly and embarrassing as they were, were his alone to keep.

“—dollars.”

“I’m so sorry, I... I didn’t hear you the first time,” Hyunjin says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Perfect. He wishes the ground could swallow him up right the hell now.

He half-expects Seungmin to release an agitated sigh or an eye roll; he imagines he's pretty obnoxious to deal with right now.

But, unluckily for his frail, lovesick heart, Seungmin laughs quiet and warm instead, setting his insides astir like it has no right to.

Seungmin repeats the total for the coffees and Hyunjin fishes for his wallet, plucking the right amount of bills out. Part of him mourns for the cash he’d just spent on the overpriced coffee, but he decides it’s worth it if he gets to see the boy up close for longer. He has to admit, it’s nice to be on equal footing with Seungmin this time, two feet on the ground and without the panic of missing his next class chasing him on his tail.

“Thank you! This won’t be a minute,” the dark-haired boy assures him with a smile.

With that, he’s turning around and pushing his sleeves up again, blissfully unaware of how Hyunjin is promptly losing it as he watches him navigate between the espresso machine and the blender with practiced ease and efficiency. It isn’t long before the drinks are poured into the glasses, metal straws peaking out from the top of the glass.

“One iced americano,” Seungmin places the first drink onto the tiny plastic tray, and then the next, “and an iced caramel macchiato. All good to go.”

“Thank you...”

Hyunjin realizes just in time that he’d just been about to say Seungmin’s name, when the latter had never even introduced himself to him. Fuck, right. He’d almost forgotten that he had had to worm his way through social media followings to figure out this guy’s name.

“It’s Seungmin, by the way.” A hint of shyness creeps up the boy’s features for the first time as he tells him his name, and Hyunjin almost coos.

_Okay, cool, you can be cool now, Hyunjin. Be calm, collected, smooth. It’s time to turn the tables._

But what comes out of his mouth instead is, “I know.”

Oh, sweet heavens.

“I mean, I know your name because, well—” Hyunjin stammers for a couple seconds, clawing at the right words to come to him, but there just _aren’t any_.

“Is that so?”

Just when Hyunjin thinks his poor soul’s already suffered enough and he’s reached peak torment, he turns even redder as his gaze lands back on Seungmin’s face and he sees the smirk playing across his lips, eyes twinkling with mirth as he examines Hyunjin.

 _Shit, what if he really_ is _a telepath?_

He nods once, the affirmation seeming to please Seungmin if the way his smirk grows into a smile is any indication. Hyunjin fiddles with his fingers by his sides, resolving not to speak before he spouts something else he’ll regret.

The moment between them breaks abruptly at the high-pitched ring of the tap bell by the till.

Hyunjin releases the breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding when Seungmin finally tears his gaze away to accommodate the next customer, but not before throwing one last smile in Hyunjin’s direction. Always one to have the last laugh.

He picks up the tray with a smile, heart thumping something fierce as he walks back to his and Felix’s booth.

* * *

Study sessions with Felix become a triweekly arrangement as planned. Before he knows it, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays after class become synonymous with ‘meet Felix at The Hefty Bean to study’.

Those three days of the week also become synonymous with ‘gawk over Kim Seungmin while you try to study’, but you’d never hear that from Hyunjin.

He does, however, sort of get a grasp on the studying thing.

Sure, his focus wavers every so often when he remembers that Seungmin’s only a couple feet away, manning the counter, but his desire to 1) get shit done, and 2) present himself as a diligent student, ultimately wins over everything else.

The afternoon breeze flows coolly around him as he walks to the cafe after his final class of the week. It’s a Friday, so there’s more students than usual gathered on the campus grounds, some of them already huddled together on picnic blankets while others leave the lecture halls in groups.

He’d opted to walk to their usual meeting spot today since Felix had yet to reply to his last text, probably occupied with dance practice or an impromptu meeting. It wasn’t everyday that Hyunjin got to walk leisurely at his own pace, so it seemed like a no-brainer to spend his extra time this way.

By some miracle, he makes it to The Hefty Bean within half an hour, and Hyunjin thinks that maybe Felix was right about the joys of getting regular exercise.

(If anybody asks, Hyunjin _definitely_ hadn’t sped up his pace by just a teensy bit on purpose because of the dark-haired boy working MWF shifts at the cafe. Preposterous.)

However, it looks like Hyunjin's _too_ too-early this time. A quick scan around the interior doesn’t bring him any familiar faces, and not even Seungmin’s behind the counter today. He shifts his weight from one foot to another by the doorway, contemplating whether or not to stay and wait for Felix alone, or kill time someplace else like the library.

And as if it had been waiting all along for this moment (for the sole purpose of dramatizing Hyunjin’s life, obviously), the dreariness outside increases tenfold, gloomy gray blanketing the skies before he hears the soft pitter patter of the rain begin to fall.

Great.

Hyunjin doesn’t usually bring an umbrella (that was usually Felix’s thing), so leaving the cafe was out of the question. Resignedly, he begins walking towards his usual booth before slowing down. Maybe a change of scenery would be good today.

He aims for one of the last free tables in the cafe after buying a biscuit at the counter instead. The table isn’t by the edge, like he's used to, but far enough from the middle of the cafe. He sets his backpack on the tabletop before plunking himself down onto the wooden seat, just in time to hear the sound of a digital chime, short and airy, ringing in quick succession from his sweater pocket.

**lixie 🌞☀:**

_srry jinnie :c_

_can’t make it today :c_

_this project is due t o m o r r o w_

_can you believe that?_

_bc i can’t_

**jinnie ~:**

_that sucks_

_dw about me!! ill be alright_

_you owe me a coffee though_

**lixie 🌞☀:**

_hehehehehe_

_of course, of course_

_how’s loverboy looking today 👀_

**jinnie~:**

🙄

_you owe me two coffees_

Hyunjin swipes his thumb over the screen of his phone idly, waiting for Felix’s reply. He sends a quick _see you!_ once a minute passes, but before he can do so, a slim figure appears across and slightly to the right of his table, clad in baggy basketball shorts and a sweatshirt.

Just as he’s about to utter, “That seat’s taken,” the stranger pulls the chair out and seats himself on it.

_Ooookay._

Well, this is awkward. He can’t be certain how long he sits in his own chair, dumbfounded by this... rando who’d basically just invaded his personal space, but to Hyunjin who usually feels like crawling out of his own skin when forced to be around people he doesn’t know, it might as well be a small eternity.

Hyunjin blinks once, then twice, as he tries to muster the right words to ask the stranger to leave as politely as possible.

It isn’t like there aren’t any other spare tables in the cafe, either— he spots a perfectly good vacant spot two feet away.

Hyunjin clears his throat, intending to point out the fact that there were other places for the stranger to sit at, when the guy’s gruff voice interrupts him.

“You’re pretty, you know.”

Uh, what.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” Hyunjin offers him a tight-lipped smile along with his query.

The guy scoffs. Hyunjin doesn’t know what to make of it. “No, seriously, have we met before? Because you’re not ringing any bells for me,” he continues.

“What, do all the guys that hit on you have to be your friend first or somethin’? I’ve seen you around, is all.”

Laughing nervously, Hyunjin shakes his head as he fidgets with the plastic-wrapped biscuit atop the table.

What’s he supposed to say to that? He opts to preoccupy himself with something else instead, hoping to ward off the stranger if he gets his disinterest across without words. With that, he hurriedly unzips his backpack and takes out his laptop. Maybe that would be enough of a physical barrier.

To his frustration, fixing his gaze on the blank document screen on his laptop screen doesn’t take away from the fact that he can feel the guy’s eyes boring into him from no more than a foot away, looking like he’s five seconds away from initiating another conversation (if you could even call it that).

Doesn’t stop him from trying his damned best to ignore it anyway. Out of sight, out of mind.

Apparently though, everything has an expiration date, and the mantra is no exception. Hyunjin’s made exactly 7 words worth of progress on his paper (counting the title and his name) before his unwelcome company pushes, “Hey, come on, just your number? Please?”

He considers giving in, if only to have some semblance of peace and quiet this afternoon. He could always change his number, right? It wasn’t like he had tons of people to notify—his friends, a couple professors and TAs and not much else. Or he could give a fake phone number, that sounded pretty good too.

In any case, he doesn’t get to act upon either of the two options. No numbers are scrawled down on paper napkins, no phones exchanged, no digits recited painstakingly slow for the convenience of the other. None of that happens, because all of a sudden, a tall plastic cup of coffee is set smack dab in the middle of the table.

“Hi, baby. Sorry I kept you waiting, but I’m not too late, am I?”

Yeah, maybe Hyunjin needs to let up on those all-nighters, because there was no way, _no way,_ Kim Seungmin had just called him _baby._

Was he running a fever? Now that he thought about it, he _had_ been running a little warm since last period...

“Babe?”

_Fuck._

What the _fuck._

He's about to bash his head into the shiny wooden table, convinced that he's properly lost his marbles at this point, when he catches on.

Oh, _right._ This was all a plan to get rid of the creep currently trying (and terribly failing) to get into Hyunjin's pants.

He pushes his embarrassment and inner turmoil aside, if only for now, tilting his head up to look Seungmin in the eye and say, “Not at all, Seungminnie.” _Seungminnie?_ Where’d _that_ come from? The nickname seems to catch the other boy off-guard, but he quickly regains his cool.

“Mm, good. Did you miss me?” Seungmin teases, resting a hand on his shoulder, and though there’s traces of hesitation there, it feels just as warm and soft as the last time Hyunjin had felt the touch on the same exact spot.

Maybe Seungmin expects him to laugh the question off, segue into easy banter or retaliate with something just as sappy, but Hyunjin doesn’t do any of that.

Instead, he reaches up to the hand sitting on his shoulder, clasping it with a sure grip before he responds, earnestly.

Truthfully.

“Of course I did,” Hyunjin sighs, beaming at the dark-haired boy and reveling at the way the other’s ears are tinged pink, though most of it stayed hidden beneath tufts of dark locks.

The sound of a chair scraping against hardwood flooring pops their bubble as he and Seungmin watch one disgruntled boy trudge towards the doors and out, a little stunned at how quickly it had taken to drive the stranger away.

“Huh, that didn’t take as long as I thought it would,” Seungmin mutters, bemused. 

Hyunjin can’t help the laughter that bubbles from within him at Seungmin’s expression, breaking into a fit of giggles as his mind recaps the events of the last five minutes for him with impressive detail.

"I guess we make a pretty convincing couple."

“Maybe so. _Babe,_ huh?” He wiggles his eyebrows, taking Seungmin’s hand in both of his as the other seats himself. His own hand feels painfully warm against Seungmin's—but he can't even be embarrassed about it. Was increased bravado and general shamelessness a typical side effect of all-nighters? Because Hyunjin doesn't have any other explanation for the way holding hands with Seungmin feels _right._

“Shut up, you probably liked it,” Seungmin replies, fixing him in place with a smug expression, his hold tightening around Hyunjin's hand for a brief moment.

Hyunjin thinks the flush on his cheeks is enough of an answer as it is, but Seungmin's apparently one for vocal cues because all of a sudden he's pulling away and saying, "Wait, _gods,_ I never even asked you if it was okay!"

"If.. what was okay?" 

"What I did earlier, Hyunjin, with the pet names and pretending to be your.." Seungmin's voice grows quiet, finishing with a meek, "...boyfriend."

Hyunjin sighs in faux-exasperation, even tacking on an eye roll for good measure before gazing back at Seungmin.

"Seungmin, are you kidding me?"

The dark-haired boy just blinks at him, so Hyunjin continues. "In case you haven't noticed, I've been crushing on you for _months_ now? Uh, of _course_ I'd be fine with it."

"But still, I can't believe I made you go play along," Seungmin mutters.

 _Oh god, could he be_ any _sweeter?_

"Seungmin, you didn't _make_ me do anything. Better you than that creep, anyway," Hyunjin gathers all his leftover courage to reach for Seungmin's hand again, smiling at the way his brows furrowed with worry for _him,_ of all people.

At that, Seungmin cracks bit by bit; there's the quick exhale that turns into a chuckle, before the sound of warm laughter finally fills the silence.

"The bar isn't too high, but thanks," Seungmin quips with a smirk.

"Are you kidding me? There isn't even a bar when it comes to you, you get a free pass."

It's true; he doesn't know what had drawn him into Seungmin so quickly, so fiercely, in the first place. But he supposes not even the Big Bang had a reason for happening — it just did.

Call it a coincidence or call it fate, but Hyunjin finds it fascinating, how they'd met in the same way that the universe came to be: a collision of two bodies along an invisible path. 

It was only ever a matter of time before they'd be pulled into each other's orbit.

He watches Seungmin's gaze soften, stares into those deep brown eyes. Feels a thumb graze over the skin of his hand, light and fleeting. 

“In that case, what do you say to a date? There’s this coffee shop I know of, I hear they make pretty good coffee?” 

“Hmm, I don’t know," Hyunjin hums. "Is the barista cute? I‘m afraid I’ve got my eye on one already.”

“Really now? Mind telling me who that might be?” Seungmin tilts his head in question, eyes wide and playful, and it takes all of Hyunjin's strength not to break down and squeal at the sight.

Hyunjin pretends to be deep in thought for a moment, tapping his chin for a couple seconds.

“He told me his name was Kim Seungmin.”

"Kim Seungmin, huh?"

"Yep. Sounds like a real hotshot, doesn't he," Hyunjin's just poking fun at him now, but it works anyway and Seungmin can't help the laugh that escapes him, Hyunjin giggling along.

“I think we’ve got the same place in mind,” Seungmin tells him, face lit up in a tender smile.

“So... it’s a date?”

Without tearing his eyes away, he feels warm fingers shuffle until they interlock with his, slotting into place as if it had always belonged there. And in a way, maybe it did.

“It’s a date.”

(This time, Hyunjin allows the butterflies to fly freely inside him, fluttering up such a storm that it feels like he’d start floating too at any second, if he wasn’t already tethered to the ground, hand in hand with this beautifully brilliant boy right in front of him.

He hopes this warmth doesn’t leave him, at least not for a long, long time.)

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading to the end! <3 
> 
> this fic is simultaneously my first fic in years, my first dabble into the stray kids tag, and the longest fic i've ever written. a whopping ~~6.9k~~ 7.4k words (after editing) and spare change! this was originally meant to be a 1-2k word fic, so /shrugs.
> 
> again, i hope you enjoyed reading my measly offering to the seungjin tag! comments and kudo(s) are highly appreciated, but no pressure :')
> 
> 16/11/20:  
> edited the formatting!
> 
> 19/11/20:  
> edited some of the dialogue... ended up with 500 more words. it is what it is?


End file.
